Hill’s ‘Fireflies’ contains too many clichéd rhymes

Faith Hill

“Fireflies” (Warner Bros.) •• 1/2

Forget “Fireflies.” Faith Hill should have titled her new album “My Apology.”

Almost everything about the CD feels like a reaction to the widespread complaints that her last collection, 2002’s “Cry,” sacrificed country character in pursuit of pop crossover sales.

As a result, Hill did some serious soul-searching. She listened to hundreds of songs, and that paid off on “Fireflies” in at least six cases, including “Mississippi Girl,” a get-back-to-my-roots exercise co-written by John Rich (of the hot duo Big & Rich) and Adam Schoenfeld.

Indeed, country radio has embraced “Mississippi Girl” with the enthusiasm it showed for many of Hill’s pre-“Cry” recordings.

But too much of the 14-track “Fireflies” is sabotaged by corny or clichéd rhymes and images. The title tune, by Lori McKenna, is awash with mentions of a fairy princess, Peter Pan and miracles. Darrell Scott’s socially conscious “We’ve Got Nothing but Love to Prove” aims at being a sort of country “Imagine,” but Scott is clearly no Merle Haggard, much less John Lennon.

Hill should take a brief bow for rebounding from the hollow “Cry,” but she still has a long way to go to reflect the country character of Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Lucinda Williams and the Dixie Chicks. If she wants to be an artist rather than just a star, a lot more soul-searching is in order.

Robert Hilburn, Los Angeles Times

Teairra Mari

“Rocafella Records Presents Teairra Mari” (Roc-A-Fella) •••

Being young and in love can’t be easy when you’ve got all manner of thugs and hustlers trying to get at you all the time. But 17-year-old Teairra Mari seems to have time for them, and it’ll take more than a wink and a smile to turn her head. She states that plainly on her hit, “Make Her Feel Good,” and then keeps the theme going with songs such as “Stay in Ya Lane” and “La La.”

Her sometimes buck-wild tendencies may be blamed on her having “No Daddy,” but she is hardly apologizing on that defiant club banger. Her confidence wavers a bit on “Phone Booth,” as she pleads for reassurance that her man isn’t as bad as her momma says he is.

Mari is the latest in a new breed of female R&B stars adamant about their standards when it comes to relationships. Ciara isn’t the only one who can keep her cookies in the jar if she has to.

Steve Jones, USA Today

Michael Penn

“Mr. Hollywood, Jr. 1947” (Mimeograph/SpinArt) •••

What a shame it is that the exceptionally smart singer-songwriter Michael Penn has been unable to release any music for the past five years because of a contract skirmish with his former record label, Sony.

The ambitious “Mr. Hollywood, Jr. 1947,” Penn’s fifth solo album, has all the best elements of his previous work, including lots of Lennon & McCartney-style melodies and literate, allusive lyrics. It weaves together human-size stories informed by world-shaking happenings in post-World War II America.

Regardless of the sometimes shaky concepts behind this not-quite-a-concept-album, “Mr. Hollywood” has striking moments, including “Mary Lynn,” “Walter Reed” and the album’s only real up-tempo song, “On Automatic.”

Martin Bandyke, Detroit Free Press

Alice Cooper

“Dirty Diamonds” (New West) •••

Did we hit a time warp somewhere? The first thing you’ll notice about Alice Cooper’s latest album is that the cover looks a lot like his 1970s albums. It also sounds a lot like his 1970s albums.

The legendary black humor is still intact, as he shows in a twisted take on Johnny Cash with “The Saga of Jesse Jane.” There are also a few surprises along the way, like the funky “Run Down the Devil” and the soft, bluesy “Six Hours.” But Alice still is at his best when he’s rocking out, as on the driving (no pun intended) “Steal that Car.”

“Dirty Diamonds” won’t rival great albums like “Billion Dollar Babies” or “Welcome to my Nightmare,” but it is a fun album for both longtime Alice Cooper devotees and fans of the current crop of garage rockers.

Fred Phillips, The (Monroe, La.) News-Star

The High Dials

“War of the Wakening Phantoms” (Rainbow Quartz) ••••

Long after the hour you’ve spent listening to “War of the Wakening Phantoms,” the High Dials’ psych-pop triumph, you’ll still be basking in the afterglow of the slide-guitar hook from “Your Eyes Are a Door,” the bouncy rush of “The Holy Ground” and the mangled jangle of “Strandhill Sands.”

This Montreal quartet’s sophomore long-player is a magic-carpet ride, though not of the preciously retro variety. With the right blend of Zombies/Love majesty and Monkees-like daffiness, the Dials take a bastardized form and make it sound as if it has a future beyond merely aping the guitar sounds and the threads.

The slide part from “Your Eyes” might be the sweetest six-string sound you’ll hear all year, and the mellotron lurking below the gothic waltz “Winter Ghosts” serves a purpose greater than a group showing off its stash of vintage gear.

Patrick Berkery, Philadelphia Inquirer